Manchester United could regret not listening to Sir Alex Ferguson's wise words this summer.
The Red Devils are expected to undergo a major recruitment drive with Erik ten Hag poised to arrive as manager after a deal with Ajax was thrashed out. The Dutchman is likely to be on the lookout for a clutch of new signings. Whilst much of the focus is likely to be on players who can immediately affect United's bid to once again challenge for the Premier League, there will also no doubt be a focus on adding talented young players.
One who might be filed under the 'ones that got away' folder is Peterborough's Ronnie Edwards. According to the Sun, United's legendary former boss Ferguson urged his old club to sign the talented teen last summer.
Edwards, just 19, made just six senior appearances for Posh in the 2020-21 campaign and he was being singled out by some big clubs at the time. But United decided not to follow the advice of Ferguson and so Edwards remained at Peterborough. This season he has gone on to make 36 appearances in all competitions, catching the eye for the maturity of his performances.
German trio RB Leipzig, Eintracht Frankfurt and Borussia Dortmund are reportedly at the front of the queue to sign the youngster whilst Crystal Palace and Tottenham Hotspur are also said to be interested. It is thought Posh value the defender at between £15million and £20million. Last summer they tied him down to a fresh contract to keep him at the Weston Homes Stadium until 2025.
That gave them a much-needed insurance policy that means they can demand top dollar should the big clubs come knocking at their door this summer. Such is the intense interest in Edwards that during one of his recent outings for England's under-19s there were an astonishing 98 scouts present. Edwards joined Posh in 2020 having previously been at Barnet since the age of nine.
Peterborough, who were relegated from the Championship last weekend, have a habit of polishing rough diamonds before selling them for big profits, with the likes of Ivan Toney, Dwight Gayle and Britt Assombalonga all departing for hefty fees in recent years.
Barry Fry, the club's director of football, recently explained Edwards' transfer status ahead of the summer.
"That record (Toney's sale) would be smashed if we were to sell Ronnie," Fry told the Peterborough Telegraph . There was plenty of interest in him before he started playing regularly in the Championship and that interest will only grow further when he plays for England in the summer. Spurs have been watching him for a long time, but so have other clubs. There is a big German club showing interest which is no real surprise as they love to take young English players and develop them.
"I’m not saying he will be sold as we haven’t had our planning meetings for next season yet, but, if he was to leave, ideally he’d go and be loaned straight back to us for a year."
